Dartford Labour Party Official website for Dartford CLP
Labour Councillors in Dartford have called on the Conservative run Council to do more to support care leavers after the Tories repeatedly refused requests to join 107 other local authorities in recognising care experience as a protected characteristic.
In a letter to Council Leader Jeremy Kite published today (15th January), Dartford Labour Leader Jonathon Hawkes and Deputy Leader Kelly Grehan have called to the Conservative run Council to take the following steps to ensure Dartford Borough Council is doing all it can to support care experienced individuals.
• Join the 107 other Local Authorities in passing a motion to treat Care Experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic.
• Consult with care experienced people or organisations that represent them to develop the Council Care Leavers policy
• Work with Kent County Council to improve the service to care experienced individuals
Councillor Kelly Grehan said: “Earlier this year I had the great honour of chairing an event on care experience and was humbled to hear from those who have been in care, as well as from councillors whose councils have brought in policies that are making a difference for care experienced people. I want to see Dartford doing the same, but the Conservatives have blocked our attempts to introduce better practice. We need a different approach.
Care experienced individuals face unique challenges and disadvantages that require specific and dedicated support. I believe Dartford’s approach is inadequate. There is no evidence the current care leavers policy was prepared without consultation with care experienced people or organisations that represent them. It therefore lacks robustness in terms of its ability to positively impact care experienced people in the borough”
Councillor Jonathon Hawkes said: “Care-experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives, often facing discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system. Councils can play an important role in breaking down those barriers by treating care experience as if it were a protected characteristic so that future services and policies made by the council will always be assessed to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience.
Over 30 million people in the UK now live in an area where their council has adopted Care Experience as a Protected Characteristic. The Conservative leadership on Dartford Council have refused our calls to join them. Today, we are again asking them to think again and stand up for care experienced individuals in our community”